Star Wars and Star Trek have some connection with us!

If you’ve had an email from me, you may have gotten the particular feeling that I like Space flicks.? I enjoyed, as many of you, the Star Wars series of movies, and I pirated one of Yodo’s sayings (May the force be with you), and it is sort of my signature-line with a slightly different wording (May the chi be with you).

Let me use the famous saying from the Star Trek empire of shows (“To boldly go where no man has gone before”) as an intro to our first topic of this latest newsletter.

To many of us, meditation is a place you haven’t been able to go to.? Folks have lots of excuses when it comes to this practice.? Sound familiar?? Yeah, I thought so!? Do you have to be BOLD (to go there)?? Yeah, you could say that.? It takes time…and effort.? But man, it will help you in so many ways.

Both Lisa and I have our own personal meditation practices.? Are they the same?? No and neither will yours!?? You can shape and create it in so many ways and it will NOT take up a lot of time, unless when you get there, you would rather stay longer and longer.? 5 MINUTES!?? You got 5-minutes?? Of course, you do!? Some of us spend this amount of time at certain red lights each day coming and going.? Lol.? I promise the guy behind you will let you know when you are finished with your meditation session.

We advocate to our students to start slowly, if starting, and add time when you want to or if you have some extra time.?? We love “pushing” the idea of a morning routine to everyone and if necessary, making it a habit to get up 10 to 15 minutes early and put together a program that starts your day off in a powerful, effective way.

Items you can use are journaling, reading something positive, visualizing, walking (any type of exercise), and, yes, MEDITATING!?? This is one easy way to start incorporating meditating into your life.? 5 minutes!!

I’m going to quote some studies and material from the Cleveland Clinic about this beautiful habit: “Meditation is a practice that involves focusing or clearing your mind using a combination of mental and physical techniques.? Depending on the type of meditation you choose, you can meditate to relax, reduce anxiety and?stress, and more. Some people even use meditation to help them improve their health, such as using it to help adapt to the challenges of quitting tobacco products”.

AND “Meditation is an ancient practice that dates back thousands of years. Despite its age, this practice is common worldwide because it has benefits for brain health and overall well-being. With the help of modern technology, researchers continue to expand their understanding of how meditation helps people and why it works.”??

Some examples of religious and nonreligious methods of meditation include:

• Buddhist: Several different forms of meditation have their origins in Buddhism (which is considered both a philosophy and a religion, especially depending on the nation of origin). Theravadan meditation is more common in Southeast Asia, especially in India and Thailand. Zen Buddhist meditation originated in China, and different forms of it eventually evolved elsewhere, such as Japanese Zen Buddhist meditation. Tibetan Buddhist tantric meditation comes from the former nation of Tibet, now an autonomous region of China.
• Christian: Contemplation, which is when you focus intently on a question, idea, religious concept or deity, is a common practice in Christianity. Praying is often classified as meditation, especially when it takes this form.
• Guided: This nonreligious form of meditation can happen with several people or one-on-one. It’s a common technique in counseling, therapy and group support settings.
• Osho: This form of meditation, also known as “dynamic meditation”, comes from India and has its roots in Hinduism. Breathing exercises are deliberate and forceful.
• Sufi: Sufism is a branch of Islam, and meditation is a common practice among people who follow it.
• Taoist: Like Buddhism, Taoism is also considered a religion and philosophy. It originated in China and is best known through the writings of its founder, Laozi (also spelled “Lao Tzu” or “Lao-Tze”).
• Transcendental : This form of meditation comes from India and is nonreligious. It involves using mantras, which are phrases or words people focus on and repeat aloud or in their minds.
• Yoga: This is a physical form of meditation and exercise from India. It can take on religious and nonreligious forms.

What exactly does meditation do?

In general, people who meditate are more likely to see the following benefits:

• Decreased symptoms of anxiety, depression, or PTSD
• Improved ability to think, concentrate and solve problems.
• Better ability to adapt to and overcome emotional problems

Because mental health has a strong impact on the health of your body, those benefits also often bring improvements in how well you sleep, high blood pressure?and heart function, and much more.

I try to make it simple.? Sometimes, I’m so lazy I do it before I take a nap!? A nap?? Yeah, I’m getting old.? No snickering!

I start my relaxing every part of my body by concentrating on each body part and visualizing it sort of “sinking” into the chair/bed.?? I then count down from 10 to 1 and start breathing deeply and slowly.? I like using the “box” method.? Breath slowly (through the nose) in with your belly rising for the count of 4, holding my breath for a count of 4, slowly releasing my breath through the nose (count of 4), holding my breath (4 count), and then starting over for 5 to 10 times before just doing normal breathing.

I keep breathing and “watching” it.? When a thought comes into my mind, I don’t fret, and I just release the thought and go back to noticing my breath.

I always finish by visualizing something I want to happen in my life positively as vividly as possible showing it as already as happening.? I then count back up from 1 to 10 saying to myself a positive message.? One I like is “Every day in every way I’m getting better and better”.? I then open my eyes and set off conquering the world (hopefully).? Lol.

START.?? That is the most important thing.? The second most important thing is to be CONSISTENT.? Pick a time when you will not be disturbed.? It will settle you down, give you more clarity, make you more confident, and raise your energy, and countless other benefits.

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Before I continue, here is word from our sponsor…

Jot down the day of September 28th at 2 pm for Lisa’s and mine next LinkedIn Live event.? If you at least register, you get the recording.? The subject is “A Good Night Sleep the Feng Shui Way”.

Be very scared…I’m attempting a new book on a topic I have a lot of experience and interest in.?? At the moment it is titled “May the Chi Be With You at Work and in the Classroom”.? I’m sure many of you would also like to see our school systems improve.? When I talk about improvement, I mean improved learning, less stress for both students and faculty, better attitudes, more safety and comfort, and everyone more excited about going to school.

Finally, our classes are now entirely self-paced but with the ability to ask us thousands of questions (with fast answers).?? Some of you liked this concept better because of the schedule being slightly strict for you. ?You now can go as fast or as slow as you’d like! ?Ask for information with no obligations.

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Thanks to Sarah DiMarco, here are the favored colors for 2023…

Article: https://www.veranda.com/decorating-ideas/color-ideas/g41769920/color-trends-2023/

She has on top “Impactful Reds and Oranges”.?? She mentions Benjamin Moore’s Raspberry Blush.

Pantone is in LOVE with a color called Viva Magenta.?

KitchenAid is crazy over hibiscus as their color choice of the year.

C2 Paint likes Tiramisu.?? That sounds delicious, doesn’t it?

Sherwin Williams has mauve-y Redend Point on top.

Can’t wait to see what 2024 has in store for us!??

Which of these do you like?

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Contact us at [email protected]

Our websites are:

www.IntrinsicSchoolofFengShui.com

www.Cloud9FengShui.com

www.TheFengShuiCure.com

you can also text us at (941) 720-4480 or call and leave a message.